Almanac Teams: Zero Tests, only ODIs

 

This week’s team is based on Australian cricketers that played just one day cricket for the national side but no Tests. I have based the team from 1979-1980 when one dayers started and were played regularly as part of the summer program. In the early days there was very little variation from the test side to the one-day side; possibly only one or two different players. 1997 was the first year there was a different side with different captains.

 

For the starting XI I have mainly focused on the early players where there was little variation from the Test side to one day.

 

From my count there are 59 cricketers, most of them fast bowlers, who satisfy my criteria. There are also nine all-rounders in Porter, Graf, Macleay, Shane Lee, Harvey, Hopes, Christian, Hardie and Stoinis.

 

Some of these players did get close to Test cricket with Graf and both Christian named 12^th man and Abbott, Siddons, McCurdy, Ahmed and Noffke in touring teams. One player (Luke Ronchi) did play Test cricket for New Zealand. There is a still chance that one or two of this list play.

 

 

Team

Glenn Bishop – SA

2 games, 1987, 13 runs, HS 7

 

Bishop debuted aged 27 and played two games on January 2 and 4, 1987 against Pakistan and the West Indies. Bishop came in for David Boon at the top of the order and in his second game he batted at number five. Bishop was selected on the basis of scores of 135, 99 and 93 just before Christmas. Bishop played for South Australia between 1982-1983 and 1992-1993 where he averaged 37 with 13 hundreds. Of the centuries, five of them were against touring international teams. Bishop was named a reserve for 1987 World Cup squad.

 

 

 

Michael DiVenuto – TAS

9 games, 1997, 241 runs, HS 89, average 27

 

DiVenuto debuted aged 23 on the tour to South Africa and opened the batting in five matches. He played the first four matches of the 1997-1998 home series against New Zealand and South Africa for 91 runs but dispite a 77 in the first game of the summer he was dropped for a recalled Stuart Law. DiVenuto played first class cricket with Tasmania from 1991-1992 to 2007-2008 and continued with Durham until 2012; he scored a total of 25,200 first-class runs. DiVenuto represented Italy in the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 qualifiers. DiVenuto was Australia batting coach from 2013-2016 and since 2021 has been an assistant coach.

 

 

 

Jamie Siddons – VIC/SA

1 game, 1988, 32 runs

 

Siddons is probably thought of as the best player in the last 40 years not to play Tests for Australia. In 1987-1988 Siddons made 1,077 runs for Victoria at an average of 67. He earned a spot on the Pakistan tour of 1988 and debuted aged 24 in the Third one day match against Pakistan where he made 32 from 37. Unfortunately, Siddons had a drop in form in 1988-1989, he averaged 33 and with batting spots opened up and an Ashes tour also, his form was not strong enough. He continued to make runs at Shield level; he held the record for most runs at one stage with 10,643, but he was behind others for international honours. Siddons captained South Australia to a Shield victory and coached Bangladesh from 2007-2011.

 

 

 

 

Glenn Trimble – QLD

2 games, 1986, 4 runs, HS 4

Bowling 4-0-32

 

Glenn is the son of Sam Trimble who was 12^th man for Australia in 1964-1965. Glenn was 22 years old when he debuted for Australia, he came in to bolster the batting for Dave Gilbert. Trimble was selected on strong form for Queensland where he averaged 38 with the bat and had taken 29 wickets with his medium pacers. Trimble was on 0* when Australia won in his first game. In his second game Trimble did not bowl and made 4 off two balls. He played from 1983-1984 to 1989-1990 for Queensland at an average of 33 and took 30 wickets.

 

 

Luke Ronchi – WA

4 games, 2008, 76 runs, HS 64,

Catches 5, stumpings 2

 

Ronchi was 27 when he debuted for Australia against the West Indies in Grenada after he came in for an injured Brad Haddin. He played the last four matches of the one-day series, kept in all of them and got two opportunities with the bat. In the last game, given the opportunity at number three, he smashed 64 in 28 balls which included five fours and six sixes. Ronchi played two T20 matches in 2009 and in 2012 returned to his birth country of New Zealand where he played four Tests and 81 one dayers as a wicketkeeper. He played in the 2015 World Cup and had a top score of 88 in tests and 170* in one dayers – this was also his only hundred.

 

 

Graeme Porter – WA

2 games, 1979, 3 runs, HS 3

3 wickets, best bowling 2/13

 

Porter was 24 when selected for Australia in the 1979 World Cup squad. The squad was selected before the world series cricketers rejoined Australia. A middle order batter and medium pacer who in 1978-1979 had made 13 runs and taken four wickets for WA in two matches and averaged 26 in Shield cricket with a best of 49 and 21 wickets, Porter debuted against Pakistan in Australia’s second World Cup match for Trevor Laughlin. Porter bowled the first over and took 12-1-20 with Sadiq Mohammad his first wicket caught by Jeff Moss. He played the next match against Canada and bowled 6-2-13 but did not bat. Australia only played three matches in the World Cup, did not make the semifinals and Porter did not play again for Australia, his last match was in 1986-1987 for WA.

 

 

Ken MacLeay – WA

16 Games, 1983-87, 139 Runs, HS 41

15 Wickets, Best Bowl 6/39

 

MacLeay was 23 when selected for Australia against New Zealand in January 1983 after taking 5/7 against Victoria. Macleay replaced Kepler Wessels who played the day prior, took 10-1-39 and made 3 runs batting at number six. He next played in the second final and then the Ash Wednesday fundraising match where he top scored with 41. MacLeay was not selected initially for 1983 World Cup but later replaced Greg Chappell in the squad. He did not play in Australia’s first game – a shock loss to Zimbabwe. After playing against the West Indies (Australia lost), MacLeay was the star in Australia’s win against eventual winners India. Australia batted first and made 9/320 with Trevor Chappell the stand out on 110. India was all out for 158 thanks largely to MacLeay’s 6/39. He never cemented his spot in the one day format either; he played 16 games in a five-year period, but played for Western Australia until 1991-1992 at an average of 27 with the bat which included three centuries and 300 wickets with best bowling of 6/93.

 

 

 

 

 

Bradley Young – SA

6 games, 1998-1999, 31 runs, HS 18

1 wicket, best bowling 1/26

 

Young was a left arm orthodox spinner who debuted for Australia aged 24 against South Africa. Young replaced a resting Shane Warne in the side and bowled 7-0-49. Young at one stage held the record for most deliveries bowled before taking a wicket with 201 (Glenn Maxwell now has this record). This was Young’s only game for the summer but between his first official game and the second he played for Australia in the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur that September. In the semifinal against New Zealand Young took a hat-trick with figures of 4/4 from four overs. Young toured Bangladesh for a tournament against India and Pakistan in October and then Pakistan for one day matches where he took his first and only official wicket. His last game was January 1999, the first of the summer, unfortunately while fielding he injured his leg colliding with a fence trying to save a boundary. Young played with South Australia until 2002-2003 where he averaged 29 with the bat including three centuries and took 141 wickets.

 

 

 

 

 

Rod McCurdy – VIC/TAS/SA

11 games, 1985, 33 runs, HS 13

12 wickets, best bowling 3/19

 

McCurdy was selected for Australia aged 25 against the West Indies. He took 2/38 off ten overs, bowled Desmond Haynes for 14 and got Viv Richards caught by Allan Border for 51. McCurdy played the next 11 games for Australia in the World Series, World Championship in Australia, and a tour to Sharjah. On the basis of this and 38 Shield wickets at average of 30 with Best Bowling of 7/55, McCurdy was selected for the 1985 Ashes tour. However he pulled out to join the rebel tour of South Africa. McCurdy did not play cricket in Australia afterwards either, he decided to play first class cricket in South Africa after the rebel tours. He played in five of the seven rebel tests and took 19 wickets with best bowling of 6/67.

 

 

 

Anthony Stuart – NSW

3 games, 1997, 1 run

8 wickets, best bowling 5/26

 

Stuart debuted for Australia aged 27 against the West Indies in Brisbane; he came in for Glenn McGrath who was rested. He took 2/48 on debut with Brian Lara his second wicket. Australia missed the finals of the World Series which led to a separate one day squad and captain for the following season and in the last match before the finals Australia played Pakistan at the MCG. Pakistan batted first and Stuart opened the bowling, he removed Aamer Sohail and Zahoor Elahi early. Then in his sixth over with the score 3/29, Stuart took a hat trick. Ijaz Ahmed and Mohammad Wasim both caught behind by Ian Healy and then on the hat trick ball Moin Khan caught by Mark Taylor. Stuart took 5/26 off ten overs. Remarkably this was Stuart’s last match for Australia as he did not make the one day squad to South Africa with Adam Dale preferred. There were just three other one day matches in England for 1997; he wasn’t selected for these either. Stuart continued with NSW until 1998-1999 and in 1999-2000 he played for the Canberra Comets.

 

 

 

Andrew Zesers – SA

2 games, 1987, 10 runs, HS 8

1 wicket, best bowling 1/37

 

Zesers debuted for South Australia aged 17 in the 1984-1985 season and came into prominence in a match against Victoria where he took 5/51 and then made 85. He took the equal most wickets for the season with 47 and best figures of 7/67 in the 1986-1987 Shield which earned a spot in the 1987 World Cup Squad. Zesers debuted in the fourth game of the Cup against India when he replaced Tim May. He bowled 9-0-37 and played the next game against New Zealand where he bowled 6-1-37 with John Wright his only wicket for Australia – caught and bowled. Zesers spent the rest of the tournament watching his teammates win the 1987 World Cup. He took 27 wickets at 33 in 1987-1988 Shield season but did not come into consideration for Australia and after injuring his shoulder in the 1989-1990 season and further injury Zesers retired with his last game aged 23. He played 46 first class games for 142 wickets at an average of 30.

 

 

12^th Man Shaun Graf – VIC

11 games, 1980-1981, 24 runs, HS 8

8 wickets, best bowling 2/23

 

Graf debuted for Australia aged 23 against New Zealand in November 1980 at Adelaide where he made zero runs and took 10-1-40 with Bruce Edgar his first wicket. The week prior Graf had made 100* for Victoria against a Western Australian side boasting Lillee, Yardley and Wayne Clark and took 3/25 including Graeme Wood and Kim Hughes. The Test matches in 1980-1981 were mixed in between one dayers and after two one day matches Graf was 12^th man for Australia in the first two Tests against New Zealand. After he was dropped for the Third Test, he was again 12^th man for the First Test against India. He played nine one day games for Australia but was dropped for Graeme Beard for the finals, Beard was also selected ahead of him for the 1981 Ashes tour. Graf played two games in the 1981-1982 World Series against Pakistan and the West Indies but failed to take a wicket. He later moved to Western Australia and then returned to Victoria with his last match in 1984-1985 where he averaged 25 with one century and took 124 wickets with 5/95 his best bowling. Graf played district cricket until 2000 and was a long time manager of the Victoria team.

 

 

 

Others to play one dayers but no tests.

 

Sean Abbott – NSW

18 games, 2014- , 228 runs, HS 54, average 18

22 wickets, best bowling 3/23

 

Member of 2023 World Cup Squad, has been on the fringe of the Test and ODI squads for several years.

 

 

Fawad Ahmed – VIC

3 games, 2013, 4 runs, HS 4

3 wickets, best bowling 1/39

 

Ahmed was born in Pakistan, emigrated to Australia in 2010 and gained citizenship in 2013. In 2015 Ahmed toured the West Indies and England with the test squad.

 

 

Wes Agar – SA

2 games, 2021, 50 runs, HS 41, average 25

Best bowling 11-0-39

 

Younger brother of Ashton who like his brother was raised in Victoria but unlike him is a quick bowler.

 

 

Xavier Bartlett – QLD

1 game *, 2024, DNB

4 wickets, best bowling 4/17

 

Made his debut last Friday (Feb 2, 2024) against the West Indies and earned Man of the Match honours.

 

 

Jason Behrendorff – WA

12 games, 2019-, 11 runs

16 wickets, best bowling 5/44

 

Behrendorff was a member of the 2019 World Cup Squad, where he took 5/44 in a win against eventual winners England at Lords.

 

 

Ryan Campbell – WA

2 games, 2002, 54 runs, HS 38, average 27

4 catches, 1 stumping

 

Probably the first player I saw play the ramp shot, Campbell also played for Hong Kong in the 2016 T20 World Cup and has coached the Netherlands since 2017.

 

 

Dan Christian – NSW/SA/VIC

20 games, 2012-2021, 273 runs, HS 39, average 21

20 wickets, best bowling 5/31

 

Christian took 5/31 against Sri Lanka in Melbourne which included a hat-trick. He has not only played Shield cricket for NSW, SA, and VIC he also played T20 cricket for Brisbane and Hobart.

 

 

Mark Cosgrove – SA

3 games, 2006, 112 runs, HS 74, average 37

1 wicket, best bowling 1/1

 

Cosgrove was an unfulfilled talent who should have played more games for Australia at both levels. He scored 74 off 67 balls on debut as opener against Bangladesh in Bangladesh.

 

 

Nathan Coulter-Nile – QLD

32 games, 2013-2019, 252 runs, HS 92, average 17

52 wickets, best bowling 4/48

 

Coulter-Nile was a quick bowler who could bat, he is best known for a match against West Indies in the 2019 World Cup when he came in at 6/147 and made 92 off 60 balls, which included four 6s and eight 4s.

 

 

Ben Cutting – QLD

4 games, 2013-2014, 53 runs, HS 27, average 27

5 wickets, best bowling 3/45

 

Cutting is married to Miss World Australia 2013 entrant Erin Holland.

 

 

Tim David – TAS

4 games, 2023-, 45 runs, HS 35, average 11

1 wicket, best bowling 1/20

 

David was born in Singapore and is the prototype T20 franchise cricketer. David has never played a first-class match but has played T20 in Australia, England, India, Pakistan, West Indies, USA, UAE, and South Africa.

 

 

Brett Dorey – WA

4 games, 2006, 2 runs, HS 2

2 wickets, best bowling 1/12

 

In the late 1990s Dorey lived in Europe and worked as a bodyguard for the children of a Russian businessman.

 

 

Nathan Ellis – TAS

4 games 2022-, 6 runs, HS 3

5 wickets, best bowling 2/13

 

Ellis took a hat trick in his first T20 match for Australia against Bangladesh.

 

 

Peter Forrest – QLD

15 games, 2012, 368 runs, HS 104, average 26

 

Forrest scored 104 off 138 balls in his fourth game against Sri Lanka in Hobart. He toured with Australia’s one day squad in England and the West Indies in 2012.

 

 

Brett Geeves – TAS

2 games, 2009-2009, 10 runs, HS 10*

3 wickets, best bowling 2/11

 

Geeves twice made 99* for Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield.

 

 

Aaron Hardie – WA

2 games, 2023-, 3 runs, HS 3

2 wickets, best bowling 2/62

 

Hardie is in the current one-day squad and scored 174* for WA in the 2022-2023 Shield Final.

 

 

Ian Harvey – VIC

73 games, 1997-2004, 715 runs, HS 48*, average 18

85 wickets, best bowling 4/16

 

Harvey was a member of the 2003 World Cup squad and played two games for seven wickets including four in the first game against Pakistan.

 

 

Shane Harwood – VIC

1 game, 2009, runs 0, HS 0*

2 wickets, best bowling 2/57

 

Harwood was 35 when he played his only one day match, having not come to Melbourne from Ballarat until aged 25.

 

 

Sam Heazlett – QLD

1 game, 2017, 4 runs, HS 4

 

Heazlett was picked for Australia in a match in New Zealand before he played a game for Queensland.

 

 

James Hopes -QLD

84 games, 2005-2010, 1,326 runs, HS 63*, average 25

67 wickets, best bowling 5/14

Hopes was a regular in the Australian side between the 2007-2011 World Cups but never made a World Cup squad. He captained Queensland to Sheffield Shield victory in 2012.

 

 

David Hussey – VIC

69 games, 2008-2013, 1,796 runs, HS 111, average 33

18 wickets, best bowling 4/21

 

Probably the best player on this list, Hussey was unlucky not getting a test call up in the late 2000s. He was 31 when he debuted in 2008 and was a member of 2011 World Cup Squad. Hussey averaged 52 in first class cricket for Victoria and Nottinghamshire.

 

 

Josh Inglis – WA

18 games, 2022- , 302 runs, HS 58, average 19

16 catches, 2 stumpings

 

Inglis was born in England and moved to Australia aged 14. He was the wicketkeeper for Australia in all bar one game in Australia’s World Cup win in 2023.

 

 

Spencer Johnson – SA

1 game, 2023-, DNB

Best bowling 8-0-48

 

Johnson was player of the match in the 2023-2024 Big Bash final for Brisbane.

 

 

Ben Laughlin – QLD/TAS

5 games, 2009, 1 run

4 wickets, best bowling 1/28

 

Son of former Test player Trevor, Ben is best known as a T20 cricketer, he has played in seven countries/regions: Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, India, the West Indies, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

 

 

Shane Lee – NSW

45 games, 1995-2001, 477 runs, HS 47, average 18

48 wickets, best bowling 5/33

 

Shane is the older brother of Brett, he was a member of 1996 and 1999 World Cup Squads and in 1997 almost played the Sixth Ashes Test when injuries struck the side but missed out to Shaun Young.

 

 

Mick Lewis – VIC

7 games, 2005-2006, 4 runs, HS 4

7 wickets, best bowling 3/56

 

Lewis is best known for having the figures of 10-0-113 in South Africa’s record run chase of 9/438.

 

 

Chris Lynn – QLD

4 games, 2017-2018, 75 runs, HS 44, average 19

 

Lynn is best known as a T20 franchise player. He has played T20 cricket in eight countries/regions in Australia, India, the West Indies, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the UAE, England, and Sri Lanka.

 

 

Jimmy Maher – QLD

26 games, 1998-2003, 438 runs, HS 95, average 26

19 catches

 

Maher was a member of 2003 World Cup Squad as reserve batter and wicketkeeper.

 

 

Ben McDermott – QLD/TAS

5 games, 2021-, 223 runs, HS 104, average 45

 

Ben is the son of former Australian great Craig who is a batter as opposed to his dad who was a bowler. Ben started with Queensland and moved to Tasmania in 2015-2016 and then back to Queensland for 2023-2024.

 

 

Riley Meredith – TAS

1 game, 2021-, runs 0,HS 0*

Best bowling 6-0-36

 

Meredith sole match so far was in the West Indies.

 

 

Lance Morris – WA

1 game*, 2023

Best bowling 10-0-59

 

Morris debuted on Friday night (2 Feb, 2024) and has been at the fringe of the Test side this summer.

 

 

Dirk Nannes – VIC

1 game, 2009, 1 run

1 wicket, best bowling 1/20

 

Nannes played T20 for the Netherlands at the 2009 World Cup before he played for Australia. Nannes also competed in mogul events at the Freestyle Skiing World Cup.

 

 

Ashley Noffke – QLD

1 game, 2008, DNB

1 wicket, best bowling 1/4

 

Noffke was a member of the 2001 Ashes squad but after that despite some impressive performances he had to wait seven years before his debut for Australia against India in Brisbane.

 

 

Joel Paris – WA

2 games, 2016, DNB

1 wicket, best bowling 1/40

 

Paris’s debut was in Perth, but he failed to take a wicket. His next match was in Brisbane with Shikhar Dhawan his only wicket.

 

 

Josh Philippe – WA

3 Games, 2021-, 65 Runs, HS 39, average 22

Philippe is another current wicketkeeper batsman for Western Australia

 

 

Kane Richardson – SA

25 games 2013-2020, 75 runs, HS 24, average 15

39 wickets, best bowling 5/68

 

Richardson’s 5/68 was against India in Canberra in 2016 and included the wicket of Virat Kohli. He was a member of the 2019 World Cup Squad and the 2021 T20 winning world cup squad.

 

 

Gurinder Sandhu – NSW/TAS/QLD

2 games, 2015, DNB

3 wickets, best bowling 2/49

 

Sandhu’s debut was against India in Melbourne where he claimed the wicket of Ajinkya Rahane.

 

 

Tanveer Sangha – NSW

2 games, 2023-, runs 0

2 wickets, best bowling 1/61

 

Sangha has played four T20 games as well and has the best bowling figures on debut for an Australian with 4/31

 

 

D’Arcy Short – WA

8 games, 2018-2020, 211 runs, HS 69

 

Short was in a 223-run opening partnership with Aaron Finch in a T20 match against Zimbabwe. Short scored 46 while Finch scored 172.

 

 

Matthew Short – VIC

3 games, 2023-, 11 runs, HS 9

Best bowling 10-0-60

 

Short is the current team playing the West Indies this summer.

 

 

Billy Stanlake – QLD/TAS

7 games, 2017-2019, HS 4

7 wickets, best bowling 3/35

 

Billy is the son of former Footscray footballer Warren Stanlake. His 3/35 included the wickets of Bairstow, Root and Morgan.

 

 

Marcus Stoinis – VIC/WA

70 games, 2015-, 1,487 runs, HS 146*, average 27

48 wickets, best bowling 3/16

 

In Stoinis’s second ever game he took 3/49 and then made 146* off 117 balls against New Zealand where he shared a 54-run last wicket partnership with Josh Hazlewood in 28 balls where Hazlewood didn’t face a ball to get Australia to within six runs. Stoinis was a member of 2019 and 2023 World Cup Squads

 

 

Chris Tremain – NSW/VIC

4 games, 2016, 23 runs, HS 23*, average 23

7 wickets, best bowling 3/64

 

In Tremain’s debut match he opened the bowling with another debutant Joe Mennie in a series against South Africa in South Africa.

 

 

Ashton Turner – WA

9 games, 2019-, 192 runs, HS 84*, average 32

2 wickets, best bowling 1/23

 

Turner scored 84* off 43 balls including 6 sixes and 5 fours in his second ever game to guide Australia home against India in Mohali. Despite this while Turner played in the third game of the series, he still didn’t make the 2019 World Cup Squad.

 

 

Andrew Tye – WA

7 games, 2018-, 57 runs, HS 19, average 14

12 wickets, best bowling 5/46

 

Tye’s best bowling of 5/46 was against England in front of his home crowd of Perth.

 

 

Dan Worrall – SA

3 games, 2016, 6 runs, HS 6*

1 wicket, best bowling 1/43

 

Worrall’s debut was against Ireland, he now lives in England as he also holds British citizenship.

 

 

Adam Zampa – NSW/SA

97 games, 2016- , 285 runs, HS 36, average 10

165 wickets, best bowling 5/35

 

Zampa was a member of 2019 World Cup Squad and 2023 winning World Cup team and with 23 wickets he took the second most of the tournament.

 

 

 

P.S. Since I wrote this Jake Fraser-McGurk and Will Sutherland have made their debuts on February 4

 

 

 

 

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